Speaking of which, I have lived a leisurely life in this palace. Although it appears to be the brand of the imperial cook, the work I do is less than one-third of theirs. I usually only take care of the princess's three meals a day, and occasionally make one or two medicinal meals.
It's just that the place where I live, the distance from the Yihua Palace where the princess lives is really a headache for me. Originally, the princess wanted me to live with her when she knew my identity.
But I am a "man" in the eyes of others, it is really inconvenient to live with the princess once I enter this palace. In order to avoid gossip in the palace, she asked me to temporarily live in a residence far away.
After a long time, I often went in and out of the Princess's Yihua Palace to deliver food, and the maids gradually became familiar with me, as long as I was a little eunuch who had been "purified", they stopped paying attention to me.
The princess also took this opportunity and logically arranged for me to be in a separate courtyard in her palace on the grounds of inconvenience, so in the eyes of others I was nothing more than a favored little eunuch and cook.
From then on, I started to live under the same roof as the princess. It can also be said that all my actions are under her nose.
"You are the eunuchs, and your whole family is eunuchs." Angrily, I packed my things in the other courtyard that the princess had arranged for me.
I am very dissatisfied with the rumors outside. She is a pure and innocent big girl with yellow flowers, even if she is not like a big girl, she is still a young man in Yushu Linfeng, she was passed on to be a eunuch by them, I feel wronged in my heart, hum~ If it weren't for that condition, it would be too tempting I will not come.
"Is it easy for me? I have to suffer all this in order to cook for the princess..." I kept muttering as I packed my things.
I didn't notice at all, the princess who came in at some point was already standing behind me.
Yuan'er, the little maid who accompanied her out of the palace last time, coughed lightly, reminding me that the princess is coming, so I hurried over to say hello.
"I don't know when the princess will arrive, why don't you let me know, so I can come out to greet you." While smiling obsequiously, I gave Yuan'er a look, complaining that she didn't remind me earlier, it was too embarrassing up.
I have been in the palace for a long time, these days I have already become familiar with those little palace ladies, and we usually chat and joke a lot.
Yuan'er is the princess' confidant, so she usually serves the princess herself.
Yuan'er gave me a helpless expression, and I knew it was a princess at a glance.
"Song Xiran, what are you muttering about? Are you speaking ill of me? It seems that you have accumulated a lot of resentment. Why don't you tell me how about it?"
It was that superficial smile again, she obviously heard what I said, and she was trying to trick me on purpose.
How could I have been tricked, and immediately began to quibble: "Back to the princess, how dare Xiran speak ill of you, it's just that there are rumors outside that I am a popular person in front of you... eunuch and little cook. Xiran feels very wronged .”
After hearing my words, the princess couldn't help smiling, and that smile was still intoxicating.
"Isn't that just right? Isn't it much more convenient for you to live here? Alright, in order to make up for your grievances and to thank you for saving your life, how about I take you to the imperial garden in the palace?"
"Okay~" Stars appeared in my eyes when I heard the word "Royal Garden", it must be very beautiful, and I still go with the princess, this beauty is so beautiful~
I immediately put down the things in my hands, and I followed the princess to the imperial garden.
This imperial garden has exotic flowers and plants, pavilions, rugged rocks, strange trees in a winding circle, small pavilions for people to rest, various statues of strange shapes, and rocks and rockeries of strange shapes.
Although it is summer, the garden is still full of flowers. There are patches of lotus in the lotus pond, gorgeous peonies, elegant jasmine... there are more than ten kinds whose names can be counted, and there are many more that cannot be named, which makes people dazzled and dizzy.
While I was walking around in this royal garden, I pretended to be casual and tentatively asked her:
"Princess, did you bring me into this palace just to cook?"
"Yes and no, probably, it's because you saved me, and I happen to think you are pleasing to the eye, so I want you to stay by my side. I don't know if this answer is satisfactory to you?"
She turned her head and smiled at me, her smile was more charming than before in the flowers. After answering, she stopped talking and walked forward slowly.
I stood still and stared blankly at her back. There are tens of thousands of cooks in this world, why did she choose me? Could this be the legendary destiny
"It's because I look pleasing to the eye, do you want me to be by your side?" I actually felt a little bit moved by the person in front of me.
Then he slowed down on the spot, and then followed.
After walking a little tired, I sat with her in a pavilion to rest, chatting while admiring the scenery of the imperial garden. Suddenly I had a flash of inspiration and said to her excitedly:
"Princess, princess, can I make lily, tremella and lotus seed soup for you to drink at noon? There are also colorful flower cakes. This is not to let down the beautiful scenery~ It is interesting to eat delicious food after enjoying the beautiful scenery."
"Okay, colorful flower cake? I haven't heard of it yet, I want to see how you make it?"
There is a special kitchen in the imperial garden for the emperor to hold a banquet. She ordered someone to deliver the other ingredients I need from the imperial dining room. The other flowers I want are all freshly picked and cleaned by me. Everything is ready .
"Princess, I'll start~"
I smiled confidently at her, and I still have a little confidence in cooking.
The first thing I made was Lily Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup.
I processed the white fungus that had been soaked in warm water until it was soft from the Imperial Dining Room, and put it aside.
Then add water to the pot and boil until boiling, add a little rock sugar, and boil the lotus seeds taken from the lotus heart.
When the lotus seeds are half cooked, continue to put the white fungus into it, and cook until it boils. Then add freshly picked lilies and wolfberries, and turn to a low heat to cook slowly.
While the white fungus soup was slowly cooking, I started to make colorful flower cakes.
Take out the petals of various colors, mash the juice, add water, and make pastry bread and pastry.
The purpose is to dye the pie crust with colorful colors to make people look more appetizing.
Then it is wrapped with fillings made of flowers such as roses and jasmine.
Pour in the oil and fry them slowly at an even temperature until the crust is crispy and the layers are distinct.
The finished product of the colorful flower cake is bright and colorful, just like a rainbow of seven colors.
Coupled with the slightly golden meringue, it is very crunchy and delicious, sweet but not greasy, very attractive.
When the white fungus soup was cooked crystal clear, rich and sticky, I put some longan in it.
After a few minutes, turn off the heat and pour it into the cup, garnish it with a few slices of mint, which makes the whole white fungus soup feel different and fresh.
Then I put them on a tray, carefully brought them to the princess, and told her to drink slowly and be careful not to burn them.
She took a bite of the flower cake and seemed very satisfied.
After that, one bite after another, without any sign of stopping, with a look of happiness and satisfaction, coupled with the scent of flower cakes in the air, Yuan'er who was watching beside her couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
"Well, you're good at cooking. This colorful flower cake is very novel and delicious. I'm very satisfied. Tell me, I can consider giving you whatever you want."
When she was eating, she seemed to be a different person, looking at me with a pair of big flickering eyes, with a little bit of crumbs from eating flower cakes on her mouth, like a child who ate it secretly.
I couldn't help leaning close to her, and gently wiped the crumbs from her mouth with a handkerchief,
That movement was very natural, and she didn't have time to react and dodge it. An ambiguous atmosphere spread in the air. The distance between the two of us at this moment is close enough to see each other's faces clearly, time seems to stop at this moment, and only the sound of each other's heartbeat can be heard quietly.
At this moment, she was already blushing, but I boldly leaned forward slightly, and whispered to her next to her ear:
"Look at how you eat so much that your mouth is stained, let me think about it, and I'll tell you in a few days. Okay?"
After I finished speaking, I slowly backed away, and she also seemed to suddenly realize that the action was too imaginative, so she couldn't help pretending to be calm and started to drink the white fungus soup in front of her, as if nothing happened just now of.
"Ahem, Xiran, your white fungus soup is also good, it is very refreshing. Well, it's getting late, I have to go back first! Go back soon after you finish shopping, Yuan'er, let's go."
After she finished speaking, she didn't even look at me, and hurriedly stood up and left. I also felt that the action was a bit ambiguous, but I couldn't control myself at all.
Since the last time I slept with her in the same bed, she was very flustered at that time.
For the rest of the time, in my impression, she has always been a very dignified and decent person.
"But what happened today? How did you run so fast? It's not like her usual style at all. Wait, she called me... Xiran?"
A few days later, it was the annual Qiqiao Festival.
There is a saying in the poem: "The stars in the waning mountains are decorated with pearls, and the maids of the Qixi Festival are busy begging for cleverness."
Every year on the seventh day of July, when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet on the magpie bridge, the palace will offer sacrifices to the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, burn incense and salute, and hold begging activities.
On this day, the emperor arranged a family banquet in the imperial garden, invited the queen mother and all the concubines and princesses to go together, and ordered the imperial dining room to make some innovative dishes this year.
This is hard for the chefs in the Imperial Dining Room. Usually, they are tired of eating chicken, duck, fish, delicacies from mountains and seas in the palace, so what should they do
A group of men turned to me for help. I really couldn't see their sad faces and helpless looks, so I had no choice but to take the job.
"Why don't we create some homemade dishes and add some folk dishes? I'm tired of delicacies from mountains and seas, and I need other things to adjust the taste. I'll do it, and you just need to help me."
So the chefs in the Imperial Dining Room thanked me so much that they almost hugged my thigh.
They often watch me cook and know my strength. Although it was semi-forced, since I offered to help them, they were naturally moved to tears.
I signaled to them that now is not the time to be moved, cooking is the real thing, so the whole imperial dining room began to get busy.
I asked them about the tastes of the empress dowagers, empresses and princesses in the usual palace. According to the different tastes of each person, I made some simple and pleasing folk dishes based on the number of servings per person.
First, there are three appetizers: curry-flavored potatoes mixed with other vegetables, tofu mixed with Chinese toon, and Tsing Yi made of young cabbage leaves wrapped with shredded carrots, enoki mushroom segments, and shredded shiitake mushrooms;
Seven hot dishes: five flavors of sweet and sour stir-fried with green and red peppers, pineapples, beef tenderloin, and onions, scrambled eggs with wild rice stems, shredded chicken with pepper and hemp, soup with mountain mushrooms, shrimps with hairy tip, green onion and pepper green bamboo shoots, and finally It is the black-bone chicken soup with snow clam and red lotus, which is served as usual, and served separately.
At this time, the banquet had already started in the imperial garden, and the lights were brightly lit up to illuminate the entire night, which was very beautiful.
There is still one creative dish left, and it needs to be served at that time, and it will be a mistake if it is a second late.
So I first picked a piece of rib muscle from the back of a well-marinated beef and cut it at the best angle. They found an iron plate, cleaned it carefully, heated it on a charcoal fire, and rubbed a little oil on the iron plate.
Put the marinated steak on it, and there was a "hissing" sound immediately, and the smell of meat slowly spread from the iron plate to the surroundings. I lifted the shovel and tossed it for a while, sprinkled a little wine, and the iron plate burned instantly There was a wonderful blue flame.
Finally, with a light shake of my right hand and a slight lift of the shovel, the steak wrapped in flames suddenly drew a graceful arc in the air like fireworks, and landed safely on the fine porcelain plate in my left hand, cutting the steak into small pieces. Drizzle with prepared black pepper sauce, garnish with coriander and shredded red pepper.
I didn't dare to delay, so I quickly put it on the carved tray, covered the dish, and brought a glass of tribute red wine. And I asked the eunuch who passed the dish that I had to present this dish in person, otherwise the effect of this dish would not be displayed, and Longyan might be displeased by it, which would be of no benefit to us, so they agreed after weighing the pros and cons.
At this time, the female relatives were chatting and laughing happily at the banquet around the emperor. In addition, tonight's dishes were novel, which made Long Yan very happy and the atmosphere was very pleasant. I ran forward in three steps and two steps, for fear of delaying a second of time.
"Slave Imperial Dining Room Song Xiran, send greetings to the emperor and all the empresses and princesses. The little one has a dish, and the little one needs to present it in person at this time, so I dare not delay a second, lest I disturb the emperor and all the empresses and princesses, please Your majesty and all the empresses and princesses forgive me."
"Pingshen, bring up any dishes you have." The emperor didn't ask why I rushed in rashly, it seemed that I was in a good mood.
I picked up the plate of steak and put it in front of the emperor. The moment I opened the lid, the blue flames were still burning. Fortunately, there was still time. I took the red wine in my hand and slowly poured it on the steak. It jumped up again, swaying on the steak, like a Persian dancer from a foreign land.
All the people present at the moment were deeply fascinated by the blue flame on the dish. They had never seen such a cooking method, let alone such a novel dish.
When the flames died down, the aroma of red wine filled the air. The steak, which combines color, aroma and taste, seemed to be a success.
When the emperor and all the concubines were tasting the dishes, I raised my head and glanced at the audience from the corner of my eye, looking for the shadow of the princess. But I found that there was a person staring at me closely, and that scorching gaze was not from the princess, but from Concubine Li, Su Yueran.
She was sitting next to the emperor, quietly eating my dishes, her eyes still had that soul-stirring charm, when my eyes met hers, she slowly raised her chopsticks to pick up the steak and signaled to me, and then slowly sent it to me. In the entrance, the corner of the mouth evoked a wicked smile.
Concubine Li is too courageous. On such a big occasion, she is so indiscreet that she is not afraid of being blamed by the emperor. Anyway, I am afraid, so I quickly pretended that I didn't see anything, and lowered my head again. .
After the emperor and concubines tasted the beef steak, they were all full of praise, and Long Yan was even more delighted.
"What's the name of this dish?" the emperor asked.
"If you go back to the emperor, this dish is called Lan Ji Flame Steak."
"Okay, your dish is well done, come and give me a reward~" The emperor looked very happy.
I thanked Lord Ron in reply, and then slowly withdrew from the banquet venue.
Why don't you see the princess
I didn't see the princess after a few glances, where did she go
While thinking about it, I walked and searched in the imperial garden, and saw a huge banyan tree in the distance, which was covered with red thread and sachets.
Look under the tree again, hey, there seems to be a person? !
The author has something to say:
This chapter and the following chapters are too sweet, they are all showing affection and spreading dog food. Non-combatants, please be prepared to watch, so as not to hurt your little heart~~~ Cover your mouth and laugh, hahahahaha~